Did You Know?

Replacement Doll Parts




I love interesting facts and history of doll collecting.  The more
interesting ones I pass on to my readers.  I hope you find them
as interesting as I do.

Did you know? Mattel Toy makers of Hawthorn, CA., used to supply 
doll hospitals and toy stores with replacement doll parts such as 
heads and limbs for their dolls. They were shipped in a cardboard 
carton very similar to one used to put drinks in from fast food 
restaurants. Each tray carton contained twenty-four heads. The 
necks of the heads were inserted in the holes to hold the heads 
upright.
In the 1970's Mattel issued a booklet titled," All Is Not 
Lost", "Mail Order Parts Can Still Save The Toy". Listed
were doll parts, dolls, and jewelry replacement parts for a small cost. Later 
Mattel decided it was much cheaper to replace the damaged toys by 
warranty. They no longer offer replacement parts, but do offer 
replacements for a few items if the doll or toy has a design flaw. 
An example is if certain doll earrings turn the ear green etc.

More Information On Identifying The Old 1980's Cabbage Patch dolls

There is nothing more frustrating than trying to identify an old doll.
Especially when there are millions produced by many different companies.  Whenever there is a doll that is an instant success many companies wanting to make fast easy money will produce as many knockoffs or copies as the market will bear.  Small changes are made to avoid copy write issues and most people don't realize the subtle changes.  A collector has to contend with all this when trying to identify their doll.  Cabbage Patch and Barbie are the two dolls that are hardest to identify.  Both were made as toys with the makers having no interest in collectors being able to identify them. But, it can be done with much patience and research.  I hope the following articles will be helpful in identifying the early Cabbage Patch dolls.   The articles I wrote many years ago on identifying
Cabbage Dolls are still some of the most read older articles, so I know there is a lot of interest to identify these old dolls.

Identifying your Doll

Cabbage Patch.  The Old Dolls From The 80's

Identifying your Cabbage Patch by the head mold can give you a lot of
information about your doll. It can also be a complicated job.
Coleco used twenty seven molds. The Coleco mold number is imprinted
in the vinyl and centered at the lower back of the head. Raised
numbers in a box on some Coleco heads are meaningless manufacturing
codes. Coleco used single or double digit numbers one through twenty
one omitting the numbers seven and thirteen, thirty, thirty six, forty
four and forty five.
Years of issue and mold number:
1983 - 84
#1 – No dimples, small eyes small smile.
# 2 – Two dimples. Large nose and eyes.
# 3 – One Dimple on left cheek, large eyes. (smaller eyes on heads
made in Hong Kong)
# 4 – Small hole in mouth. Has two dimples. (Very sought after head
mold by collectors)
1985
# 5 – Has one tooth and two dimples,
# 6 – Has a fat face, a pacifier, two dimples and chubby cheeks.
No # 7
# 8 – Big nose. Small smile and had large ears to support eye glasses.
# 9 – Has two dimples, big ears and a silly grin.
# 10 – Has two bottom teeth, chubby cheeks and two dimples.
# 11 – Has a pink tongue sticking out of mouth. Has two dimples.
(This mold was used for many clowns and the Baseball Kids).
# 12 – Has two dimples, a long nose, and a smirky smile.
# 13 – No mold
# 14 – One dimple on the right cheek. Double chin and a fat face.
# 15 – Strained smile and no dimples.
# 16 – Has a dimple in chin, but none in cheeks.
1987
# 17 – Has two top teeth.
# 18 – Has one dimple and an open mouth.
# 19 - Has eight teeth
# 20 - No dimples, This mold was used most for Splash Kids and
toddlers.
# 21 – Dimple in the right cheek. Open mouth with a small tongue
# 22 – This is a grow hair doll. Chubby cheeks, big smile with one tooth.
# 23 – Crooked smile, pink tongue, no dimples.
# 24 – No dimples, crooked smile.
# 25 – 27 No description
In 1983 – 84 only four face molds were used. #'s 1, 2, 3, & 4. In
1985 four moreface molds were added. The dolls were available during
these years in only black and white skin tones. Coleco only freckled
the # 2 face mold with the small eyes in 1983, and the # 1 face mold
in 1985.
Some of the rare and hard to find dolls made during this time are:
Black CPK's made with freckles are especially hard to find, but all
the 1983 freckled are highly collectable.
Boy CPK's with gold, auburn, lemon or red fuzzy hair.
# 4 pacifier kids are hard to find and extremely collectable.
Girl CPK;s with auburn ponytail.
Gray-eyed girls
# 5's with brown hair and blue eyes.
There are oddities in each issue that make that particular doll rare.
Example several dolls made at one factory that have smaller or
larger eyes or a certain small number of dolls that have a different
eye color. You have to really know the dolls and the factory that
made them to identify these odd dolls.
Another interesting identifier of Cabbage Patch dolls is the body tag
sewn into the side seam of the dolls. Coleco contracted with a number
of factories to make the dolls. On these tags of the Coleco
manufactured dolls is a code that tells at which factory produced the
doll. These codes are a one, two or three letter code on the tags.
The codes are as follows and the factory it identifies:

IC – The smallest number mass produced CPK's were produced by this
factory. The dolls produced at this factory have porcelein looking
faces and near perfect hands and feet. The boys have short loop hair
styles and the girls usually have short braids or ponytails. There
were several IC factories and the codes for them are as follows:
IC1, IC2, IC3, IC6.

KT – Kam Yan Toy Factory. One of only three factories in 1983 to
produce freckled kids.

OK – Kader Factory. Largest factory located in 1983 in Hong Kong and
in China thereafter. The only factory that has continued to made the
dolls since 1983.Some of the #3 dolls made at this factory have a
small smudge at the top of the left eye.

P – The Perfedacta Factory. Some of the first dolls produced at this
factory were 18 inch dolls, two inches longer than the standard 16
inch. Dolls were first produced at this factory in 1983 in Hong Kong.
The # 2 head molds all had smaller eyes and many had freckles. Many
of the dolls produced at this factory have come down with the "CPK
pox", a mold growth on the plastic. To clean the pox off use Twin
PINES 9-11 or Removes It.

PMI – Located in China this factory made CPK's in 1984 and part of
1985 when demand was the highest. The dolls produced at this factory
have well shaped thin bodies and small hands. Many #1's have larger
eyes than the OK produced dolls. These dolls have a reverse pox,
small white spots with rings . Use the cleaning method listed above

SS/WS Factories. Made later dolls and clothing.

UT Factory. Located in Taiwan. Made dolls in 1984 and 85. These
dolls are hard to find. They have porcelain looking faces and high
cheek color. The dolls from this factory were not produced for a long
period of time and are the most beautiful. They are the favorite
among collectors. The UT factory was a large producer of CPK clothing.

Identifing The Old Coleco and Hasbro Cabbage Patch Dolls By Head Marks

Identifying Your Cabbage Patch

. (The Coleco Dolls) The success of The Cabbage Patch Kids by Coleco created many imitators. In the 
years of 1983 and 1984 they went by the names of: Cauliflower Kids, 
Flower Kids, Pumpkin Kids, Kraut Kinder, Broccoli Kids, Copies of 
the four original head molds with the copyright were made in the 
Asian Factories. As well as knock offs of the boxes and certificates 
of birth and adoption. Even Xavier Roberts signature on the 
buttocks was copied. The only thing that was not copied was the 
body tag on the authentic Cabbage Patch Kids. These body tags are 
very helpful in identifying the authentic Cabbage Patch dolls. 
The real Cabbage Patch Kids of this era are identified by the by the 
word "birthmark" on the head, cheek of the buttocks and the body 
tag. On the authentic Coleco dolls of this time the copyright on 
the back of the head reads, "1978, 1982 Original Appalachian 
Artworks, Inc.". And may also include the line: "manufactured by 
Coleco" or "Made In Hong Kong" Later Coleco Head molds say: 1978, 
1982, O.A.A. Inc." or "Copyright 1982 – 1987".

(The Hasbro Dolls) In 1990 the first Hasbro dolls appeared on the 
market. The posable Hasbro Kids have the marks: "First Edition, 
Copyright 1990, O.A.A., Inc." Manufactured by Hasbro, Inc." This 
inscription was used through 1994. Some molds have later dates, but 
no longer say: "First Edition".
In the fall of 1994 Hasbro introduced two new molds for the fourteen 
inch Cabbage Patch Kids. These have large raised Cabbage Patch logo 
on the back of the head and reads: "Copyright 1994, O.A.A., Inc., 
Manufactured by Hasbro Inc.".

(The Mattel Dolls) The Mattel Kids arrived in August 1995. The 
head molds were marked: "Mattel First Edition, Copyright 1978, 
1982, O.A.A. Inc., Manufactured by Mattel," The "First Edition" 
line was removed in 1997.

Another important identifier of The Cabbage Patch Kids is the body 
tag. The body tag is a single or double cloth tag sewn into the 
left seam of the cloth bodied dolls. Some of the early Coleco tags 
were embroidered, but most were printed. Some of the tags by 
Tsukada were bilingual often in both Japanese and English. The 
Coleco tag has 1978, 1982, O.A.A., Inc., and has manufacturer and 
the country in which manufactured. Most Coleco tags read "Made In 
China", but the early 1983 tags read `Made In Hong Kong".

The Cabbage Patch Kids were made at a rate of 100,000 dolls a week 
at Hong Kong's Kader Industries. Most of the cloth bodies and 
clothes were made across the border in Mainland China.

Knowledgeable collectors of the Cabbage Patch Kids know the circled 
initials on the Coleco tags are factory codes.

For the 1983 to 1986 Kids the initials on the tags give information 
on the quality of the doll. The earliest Coleco Cabbage Patch Kids 
were KT's with "Made In Hong Kong" on their heads and or body tags. 
The Hong Kong KT's have thick hair and pretty facial coloring, but 
some KT's have pale complexions and less detailed eyes, lighter 
freckles and thinner hair.

The quality of the OK's is more consistent with distinct freckles, 
pink cheeks, and hair; especially the 1986 nylon or popcorn styles 
are considered high quality. Tags on Coleco kids with UT (1984 – 
1985} and ICC (1985 – 1986) tags are less common and some of the 
prettier dolls were made by these Taiwan factories.

Coleco Cabbage Patch Dolls Body Tags

One of the most read items in Doll College is on identifying Old Cabbage
 Patch Dolls.  Most readers want the original name of their dolls.  That is 
almost impossible to do as so many were made.  There are other ways to
get information about the dolls.

An important identifier of The Coleco Cabbage Patch Kids is the body 
tag. The body tag is a single or double cloth tag sewn into the 
left seam of the cloth bodied dolls. Some of the early Coleco tags 
were embroidered, but most were printed. Some of the tags by 
Tsukada were bilingual often in both Japanese and English. The 
Coleco tag has 1978, 1982, O.A.A., Inc., and has manufacturer and 
the country in which manufactured. Most Coleco tags read "Made In 
China", but the early 1983 tags read `Made In Hong Kong".

The Cabbage Patch Kids were made at a rate of 100,000 dolls a week 
at Hong Kong's Kader Industries. Most of the cloth bodies and 
clothes were made across the border in Mainland China.

Knowledgeable collectors of the Cabbage Patch Kids know the circled 
initials on the Coleco tags are factory codes.

For the 1983 to 1986 Kids the initials on the tags give information 
on the quality of the doll. The earliest Coleco Cabbage Patch Kids 
were KT's with "Made In Hong Kong" on their heads and or body tags. 
The Hong Kong KT's have thick hair and pretty facial coloring, but 
some KT's have pale complexions and less detailed eyes, lighter 
freckles and thinner hair.

The quality of the OK's is more consistent with distinct freckles, 
pink cheeks, and hair; especially the 1986 nylon or popcorn styles 
are considered high quality. Tags on Coleco kids with UT (1984 – 
1985} and ICC (1985 – 1986) tags are less common and some of the 
prettier dolls were made by these Taiwan factories.

Boys Day - Fifth Day Of Fifth Month

Boy's Festival.
 On the third day of the third month, March 3 is the
Girls Festival of Japan. A day that Family heirloom dolls depicting
the emperor and empress and their court are displayed on seven red
carpeted tiers. Girls celebrate by visiting friends and feasting on
sweets. The  object of the day is to teach girls to honor the
Emperor and Empress and the art of being a hostess.
Not as well known and written about is the Japanese Boys Festival.
The festival is held on the fifth day of the fifth month, May 5.
The reason and celebration of Boy's Day is very different and has a
completely different reason to celebrate. The Boy's Day was begun by
Samurai Warriors. When the peaceful Edo Period (1615 – 1868) begun in
Japan the need for the Samurai Warrior was no more. The Warriors
loved to display their armor and mementos, but had to occasion to do
so. In order to keep past deeds and glory alive a group of retired
Warriors began a yearly festival in which they displayed their
instruments of war. This festival evolved into the Boy's Festival
about 1688.
The sword, the armor, and the carp are always featured. The sword
reminds the boy of the soul of the Samurai, the armor represents the
spirit of the warrior and the fish represents bravery.
Boy's day begins with two tall bamboo poles in front of the boys home.
On the poles are either a paper or cloth banner depicting the carp..
The banner is made so the wind flows through the fish causing it to
appear to be swimming. The carp is thought to be brave and the
Japanese Boy is taught to be brave.
Another symbol is the Iris plant. During the Heian Period (794- 1151)
the Emperor dedicated the Iris plant to ward off evil spirits and bad
health.
Also in the displays are armor, helmets, and swords placed on dolls
representing Samurai Warriors and mythical, historical heroes of
ancient Japan.
These dolls are harder to find than the dolls for the girls festival.
So finely made and detailed these antique dolls compare in price to
the antique French and German dolls.
The boy's displays are not as formally arranged as the girls. There
are generally two shelves covered with a green cloth. Some displays
have replicas of armor in the center with the dolls representing the
warriors and heroes on each side. Another arrangement has the dolls
in the center with all the symbolic replicas in the middle. Standards
and banners back the displays and at the back is a curtain, which is a
copy of those, used in the battle camps.
We see in these festivals the use of dolls as teachers and not as
playthings. 



Since World War II Boys Day is now called Children's Day and celebrates all children.  The warrior dolls
are still used, but now also are included are streamers of carp ( a kind of fish) that are flown outside the houses and windmills.  I love doll history and this is just another example of the uses of dolls in our lives.

Pre Toni - The Doll Before Toni

The Pre Toni came out before the actual Ideal  Toni doll was issued.  Both dolls are made from the same molds.  Ideal issued the so-called Pre Toni about 1945-46.  They are made of hard plastic just like the Toni's except they have mohair wigs and were not called Toni's.  As a matter of fact in all my research I have never seen a name for these dolls. Collectors have called them Pre Toni's. The Pre Toni has a lighter softer almost creamy complexion and is very beautiful.  They are very hard to find and are very expensive.  They come in the same sizes as the Toni's.  I have two Pre-Toni’s in my collection of Toni’s.  One Pre-Toni is seventeen inches, so is a larger doll.  She has beautiful green eyes and an auburn mohair wig. 

The other Pre Toni was on ebay about five years ago.  I did not recognize her as a Pre Toni.  She had a horrible haircut, was naked and dirty. But, something just appealed to me about her.  I put the listing on watch and forgot about her.  Several weeks later I was again on ebay and she had been relisted several times.  I made a minimum bid and to my surprise won her.

I knew as soon as I opened the box I had a Pre Toni.  She is the fourteen inch P-90 size.  She has a dark blonde mohair wig that was given a bad haircut by a previous owner.  I have not replaced the wig as I want her to be as original as possible.  I trimmed her hair to even it up a little.  It is still a bad haircut so she wears a hat.

The dress on the  seventeen inch Pre-Toni is made from one of the Toni Lady patterns with no alterations.  These patters are made in all the Toni Sizes.  The dress on the fourteen inch Pre-Toni is one I crocheted.

When the Gillette Company makers of the Toni Home Permanent approached Ideal about making a doll that could be given a Toni Home Permanent, Morris Mitchtom the owner of Ideal chose the doll I call the pre Toni.  The only change that was made is the skin color was made a little darker and I suspect a different paint was used to better withstand the permanent wave solution that came with the doll. A nylon wig was put on them that could withstand the rigors of being wet and given the Toni Home Permanent.  This is why almost all of the original Toni dolls have had a hair cut. When you went to the beauty shop to get a perm, you were given a hair cut.  So the little girls gave them a haircut.  All of my Toni's are original Toni's and have all been played with dolls and have had to be restored.

This is a picture of some of my Toni's .

ASTOLAT DOLL HOUSE CASTLE What a Doll Houae

As I cruise the internet,  occasionally there is information that immediately grabs my attention.  The information that stopped me immediately was an article stating there had been a nine foot dollhouse castle on display in New York City [December 2015] valued at eight and one half million dollars.  WOW... that is about the value of all the other doll houses I have written about previously.  To be more valuable than Queen Mary's doll house, the Farie Doll House,the fabulous Thorn rooms etc.  [See my previous articles.]  This Castle had to fabulous.  Also, I had never found any mention of it in all my research on dollhouses.  So I began to research.
WOW!!!! What a castle.

Astolat Dollhouse Castle is valued at 8.5 million dollars.  The Castle was built by miniature artist Elaine Diehl who resides in Sedona, Arizona.  It took over a year to do the concept of the castle and over twelve years to build.(from 1974 to 1987)  Ms Diehl enlisted other notable miniaturists to help with the construction of the castle and the many thousand of miniatures to fill it.  The castle was then displayed in Sedona in a shop owned by Ms Diehl until 1991 when she sold it for 1.1 million dollars and it was moved to New York.
The castle stands over nine feet high and weighs between 815 to 890 pounds depending on what is being displayed within the castle.   There are 29 rooms and it takes two days and twelve people to put together and take down the castle.
It was modeled and named after the castle in Tennyson's, Lady of the Shallot.  Since its completion in 1987, it has been continually updated with thousands of additional fine quality miniatures.  When the castle is setup and on display there are thousands more miniatures in storage than can be displayed at any one time.
Astolat Dollhouse Castle was purchased by  Lois Freeman in 1991 from Ms Diehl upon her retirement.  Mrs Freeman felt the castle was the most beautiful miniature structure ever made, in fact, "it was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen miniature or not".
Mrs Freeman is an avid collector of dollhouses and has since purchasing Astolat Castle is constantly  upgrading with many unique one of a kind miniatures in addition to the original miniatures already in the castle when she purchased it.  It was put on public display for the first time in November and December of 2015 to raise money for children's charities.
I could continue with much more information, but a picture is worth a thousand words.  All the pictures that I have found appear to be under copy write so you will need to go to;  youtube.com and enter astolat castle view the castle.  Take your time and enjoy as it is truly beautiful.
Below are the links if you wish to type them in;

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ci7k52LZHVg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kVSUPScy85U

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qgqg9-awJ6c

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yZBVojQSOxA

Five Year Anniversary

February 3. 2011 was the date I began Doll College/Beautiful Dolls as a blog .  Before I began the blog, I had written a monthly newsletter on Yahoo called Doll College of Doll Knowledge that I began October 11, 2001. The full name of the blog is Doll College/Beautiful Dolls.  The Doll College portion of the name came from the newsletter I wrote for The Savannah Doll Club, that contained doll club announcements and news which was usually about the history of a doll or how to make a craft for a doll.  Beautiful Dolls had been the name of my doll making business. When trying to decide on a name for my blog I combined the names.
Researching dolls has always interested me.  I love history and all dolls have history and a story to tell.
So, today marks five years of Doll College and I hope that the readers have enjoyed the information  about their dolls and will continue to enjoy Doll College. 

A Shawl For Your Doll Using An Antique Doily

Do you have some beautiful doilies that are family keepsakes or are just too beautiful to stay hidden in a box or drawer.   Well lets think a little differently how to use them.  I have many crocheted and embroidered pieces my Grandmother, an excellent needle woman made.  I have used them as rugs for some of my antique dolls to stand on.  placed over the base of a doll stand.  These doilies also make beautiful aprons and head coverings and even hats.  I never cut them as that would destroy them.  Instead fold and hand tack them to the desired shape.  See how easy it is to use a doily to accessorize a doll.

Making a shawl for an antique doll using an old crocheted doily. The shawl is a small crocheted doily that  a dear friend, now deceased gave me several years ago. .  I have included
a picture of the doily.  I simply folded it in half and placed it around my dolls shoulders.
A nice finishing touch and a good use of a sentimental gift from a fellow
doll collecting friend.

Viola!!!  See how beautifully the shawl enhances the doll.  The doily is still in its original condition, and every time I look at my doll, my friend fondly comes to mind.

Bonnet Head Dolls

Large Bonnet Head Doll

As those of you know that follow my blog know I love to gather
information about the dolls in my collection that I love.
Following is some information on Bonnett Head Dolls. 
 All of these dolls are in my doll collection

Bonnet Dolls
Bonnet Dolls are somewhat older than most dolls and are almost
all antique and  are very interesting.
 They are a type of dolls that were made 
with the hat molded on the doll head. There were made of china, wax, 
parian, celluloid, wood, composition, paper mache and straw. They 
usually have painted eyes. 
Many years ago no lady would appear outside her home without a scarf 
or a bonnet covering her head.  These dolls depict that bygone 
era.  Dolls have always represented the fashions of the era they were 
made. Many half or pincushion dolls also fit in this category of 
dolls as they often have a head covering. The bonnet styles can be 
very stylishly beautiful or very whimsical. There is one that I 
love. The doll has a hollyhock flower upside down for her hat. 
Unfirtunately I do not own one.   The 
hats can be a very large style to a small hat or scarf. 
The dolls and half dolls were made in a variety of sizes usually 
sixteen inches tall or less. The larger heads and arms were 
sometimes sold without a body and were to be placed on a cloth body 
and dressed by the owner'€™s Mother. Therefore the clothing styles are 
as varied as the many people that dressed them are. Many examples of 
these dolls although antique can still be found in original clothing at reasonable 
prices, although prices vary by area.


                                                  

          I have several Bonnet Head Dolls that I just love.  They have molded hair

                           and a hat that is also part of the mold.  I have one that is twenty inches tall
                           and is the largest of my Bonnet Head Dolls.  She is made of white porcelain
                           and has painted blue eyes.  She is very old and is considered an anitque.  I have 
                           probably had her in my collection for at least twenty years.  I don;t remembe
                           how I acqired her.  She has a leather body which is a replacement..  She is wearing a 
                                     hankercheif dress that is very pretty.  I have no idea how old the dress is. 

 

                                                       This is a side view of her head

                                             This is a back view of the hat.  The blue bow
                                              is very detailed.

                                             
                                               Notice the blue trim on the lace lining the ruffle
                                               under the front of the bonnet.

Fancy Ruffled Bonnet Head

A .beautiful small Bonnet Head Doll.  She is all porcelain and has painted socks and shoes. 

                    

Her bonnet is very detailed.  There is a pink

ruffle lining the under brim and a blue ruffle

making up the brim of the bonnet.

A side view of the bonnet.  Notice the ruffling 

of the wide brim.

There is a pink bow at the top of the blue ruffle.

Small .Bonnet Head

A small Bonnet Head as most were originally sold.  This head
is made of white porcelain and is very old.  I also have the hands
and I will one day pur her together and dress her,  

Snow Babies Are Also Bonnet Head Dolls

I had to include Snow Babies in my information on Bonnet Head Dolls.  Snow Babies are small figurines that are collected alsong with dolls.  They were originally made in the 1880;s in Germany.  They were primarily made as cake toppers.  The snow babb is small, all porcelain, and is dressed in a
white snow suit that looks as though it is covered in snowflakes.  The face has very delicately painted features.  In a short time after being made in Germany Japan began reproducing them in a much lower quality than the original German made Snow baby.  Snow babies have remained a popular collectable still in modern times.  In recent years Department 52 bagen to produce them in Taiwan and is still making them today.  I have quite a few Snow Babies and I am including some pictures of one of them.